


Stay (I Could Be Your Hiding Place)

by losingmymindtonight



Series: Close Your Eyes, Shut Your Mouth [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But Everyone Is Alive So Don't Panic, Gen, Nightmares, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Precious Peter Parker, Sleepy Conversations, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Peter Parker, Tony Stark Also Has A Fantastic Support System, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 18:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17944904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/losingmymindtonight/pseuds/losingmymindtonight
Summary: Peter isn't the only one who struggles with nightmares after the Avengers finally reverse the Snap. Every once in a while, Tony needs some reassurance too.Luckily for him, May and Peter don't mind that one bit.





	Stay (I Could Be Your Hiding Place)

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote 90% of this weeks ago in a half-conscious stupor. For some reason, I finally got the motivation to clean it up and finish it a couple days ago. So, here it is.

He didn’t remember the flight to the Parkers’ apartment. His memory only seemed to kick in once the door swung open to reveal the very tired and very concerned face of the one and only May Parker.

She jolted at his appearance (in all honesty, he must’ve looked like he’d been recently hit by a truck) and immediately pulled him into the apartment. “Tony! Oh, my god. Are you alright?”

“I-I...” The world tipped, and he was distantly aware of May jumping forward to steady him before he could take a nosedive in her entryway. “Peter.”

Her face softened. “Oh, Tony. Is that what’s wrong? Do you need to see Peter?”

F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice leapt from his wrist. Right. His watch. He… he had one of those. A F.R.I.D.A.Y. watch. Or… or a watch with F.R.I.D.A.Y. inside of it.

“Boss had a nightmare approximately 9 minutes ago. He is currently suffering from an anxiety attack.”

“9 minutes ago?! Tony, you’re barely even awake. Did you fly here?”

He... he didn’t remember. He didn’t know. He... he must’ve, though. He must’ve flown, right? How else would he have-

“Boss did not operate the suit. I did.”

Oh. That’s... that’s probably good. Very good. Definitely good.

“Oh, thank god.” May squeezed his arm gently. Her tone of voice reminded him of Pepper, all harmony and understanding. “Did you have a nightmare about Peter, Tony? Is that why you’re here?”

He nodded. “I-I need... is he...?”

“He’s in his room, safe and sound. I checked on him just a few minutes before you got here. He got back from patrol about an hour ago, so he’s out like a light.” She smiled as she said it, as if she was describing the very first time she’d stood in sunlight, and Tony understood. He  _ understood _ . “Would you like to go see him? I can take you.”

_ Yes. Yes. Please, yes. He’s dying. He’s... he died. I can still feel the ash on my hands, in my throat, in my lungs. Please. Please. Peter. _

All he managed was a stuttered nod.

“Alright, Tony. Come with me. Everything’s okay.” May slowly guided him through the apartment. “Peter’s just down here. Can you try to take a deep breath? F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you give me his vitals? Are you allowed to do that?”

“Boss has given you authorization. His BP is 130/80 and his pulse rate is 120.” 

May paused in front of Peter’s door and kept her voice low. “Well, it could be worse.” She caught his gaze and pushed open the door. “He’s right in here, Tony.”

He could see him the moment he stumbled into the room. The curtains were open, so the entire space was illuminated by the off-white (not red, thank god, never red) glow of streetlights. Peter was asleep facing the door, arms curled up around his face and half-tangled in his comforter.

May let out a soft laugh, moving quietly to the kid’s bedside and brushing her fingers over what Tony assumed was his forehead.

“Hey, baby. Tony came all this way to see you and you’ve got yourself hidden away. C’mon.” 

She pulled Peter’s arms away from his head and resettled him so that Tony had a clear view of his face. He was so focused on watching the steady rise and fall of the kid’s chest that he barely even noticed May move back to his side.

“See, Tony? He’s just sleeping. You can go check, if you want. I-I do that, sometimes. Just give his vitals the once over. Guess it’s the nurse in me, but it helps. And… well, you can never be too careful, can you?”

His breath left him in a shaky rush. Relief tingled down to his fingertips, made him feel airy and faint. “He’s alright.”

“Of course he is. All because of you.”

And as soon as the relief hit, so did the shame.

What was he doing? He was an  _ adult _ . He shouldn’t be showing up on May’s doorstep like this, disheveled and barely conscious, begging to see a kid that  _ wasn’t even his. _

He staggered backward, just outside the threshold of Peter’s room. 

“I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean...”

May followed him, concern etched on her face. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. Talk to me, Tony. What’s wrong?”

“I-god, it’s 1:00 am and I just... just busted in here and it’s-he’s not my kid. I don’t have the ri-”

He watched May gently reach out and close Peter’s door. “Don’t finish that sentence, Stark.”

“It’s true. It’s-“

“It’s not true, it’s  _ ridiculous _ . You saved him, Tony. My kid is fast asleep in that bed because of  _ you _ . Tomorrow morning, I’ll make him breakfast and fuss over his bruises from patrol because  _ you _ brought him back.” She set her fingertips against his elbow, and somehow the barely-there touch grounded him back in reality. “I have nightmares about it too, you know, and I didn’t even see it happen. Tony, you have  _ every right _ to need some reassurance. Every right in the world.”

To his surprise, he felt his shame ebbing away at her words. “You’re good at that.”

May’s smile was bitter. “I’ve argued Peter down from similar ledges.” She pushed the door open again. “Now go check on our kid, yeah? I don’t like how high your blood pressure is, especially considering your medical history. You need to relax.” When he didn’t immediately move, she rolled her eyes and pushed him through the doorway. “Go. Shoo.”

Peter had shifted a little since he had rushed out, but his breaths were still deep and even. Tony’s steps towards the bed were cautious, unsure. He was scared that once he got too close, the peaceful image might dissolve, and he’d be back to _ before. _

He sat nervously on the edge of the bed, barely resting any of his weight on the creaking mattress, and stared down at Peter’s face dumbly.

May’s voice was amused. “He’s sixteen, Tony. You aren’t going to break him.”

Slowly,  _ painfully _ slowly, he brought a hand up to the kid’s face. For a solid minute, he just hovered it somewhere above his forehead. He felt a little ridiculous. After all, this was hardly the first time he’d touched Peter. Little brushes while working in the lab had long since been replaced with full-blown hugs that would’ve made a past-Tony’s skin crawl. But there was something more intimate about this, and he was terrified that he was invading into something that wasn’t meant for him.

Still, he could feel May watching him from the doorway, and every inch of him was longing to check that the kid was solid,  _ real _ , so he took a breath and let himself run a tentative hand through the unkempt mass of familiar curls.

His heart leapt when the kid shifted into the touch, nose wrinkling and lips parting in a particularly deep exhale. A second later, his eyes fluttered open.

He gazed up at Tony lazily, looking slightly confused but not even a little bit alarmed. “Hey, Mis’er Stark.”

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Hey yourself.”

“What’re you doin’ here?”

“Just checking up on you. You good?”

“Mm.” Peter nodded lethargically. “Wha’ time ‘s it?”

May stepped away from the door and more clearly into Peter’s line of sight. “Almost 2:00.”

Peter grinned, eyes half-closed. “‘S a weird time for a visit, Mis’er Stark.”

“You know I keep eccentric hours.”

The kid shifted his face so that Tony’s hand was pinned between the pillow and his cheek. He scrunched up his expression after a second, and that’s when Tony realized he was still shaking. 

“Did you have a nightmare?”

He exhaled heavily. “It’s alright, Pete. I’m fine now.”

“Musta been a bad one if you came all the way here.”

“It’s not that far in the suit.”

Peter cracked a single eye open. “Takin’ the suit jus’ makes it worse.”

Tony chuckled softly. “You were a lot less annoying when he were asleep.”

“Mm. People usually are.” Peter glanced up at May. Even half asleep, he looked conspiratorial. “‘S Mister Stark staying, May?”

She jumped to respond before Tony could. “Oh, I think so.” She smiled at Tony as she moved to leave. “Tomorrow’s my day off. Breakfast is usually ready between 8:00 and 9:00. Don’t worry about missing it, because Peter’s nose never does.”

“I-I really don’t need to-“

Peter just grabbed hold of Tony’s wrist and shuffled to the far edge of his mattress. He tugged until his mentor got the message, kicked off his shoes, and grudgingly sat on the bed with his back against the headboard.

Peter grinned at his accomplishment and slung an arm over Tony’s knees, stretching contentedly like at cat. “G’night, May.”

May was oozing fondness as she slipped out. “Goodnight, Peter. Goodnight, Tony. I’ll see you boys in the morning.”

Tony shot her a parting nod. She returned it with a soft smile, then shut the door with a faint click.

He glanced down when he felt a sudden pressure against his leg. He let out of a huff of amusement when he saw that Peter has pressed his face against his thigh, eyes closed.

He went back to carding light fingers through the kid’s hair, enjoying the background noise of late-night traffic and Peter’s breaths. God, he’d never heard a better sound. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t appreciated it enough  _ before _ .

“Hey, Mis’er Stark?”

He quirked an eyebrow at the kid’s murmur. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping? It’s 2:00 am.”

“Aren’t you supposed t’ be sleepin’ too?”

“Oh, shh.” He tugged the comforter higher up over the kid’s shoulder. “Go to sleep, Spider-boy.”

“No thanks.”  _ What a little shit.  _ “Wha’ was your nightmare about?”

“We don’t need to talk about that.”

“Mm. You make me talk ab’t mine.”

“That’s because I’m an adult, and you’re a child. It’s my job to deal with your shit and protect you from mine.”

“But ‘m not a child.”

“God, Pete, you’re just sixteen. Do you realize how young that is to me? I’ve lived your life three times over.”

Peter turned his head and forced his eyes open so he could stare up into Tony’s face. “It was about Titan, wasn’t it? Your dream.”

“I-“

He gave his mentor a sleepy smile. There was something to  _ defenseless  _ about the expression, and it made Tony’s heart ache. “‘S okay. I dream ab’t Titan too.”

All at once, he wished he could go back and kill Thanos again. “I know you do, buddy. I’m so sorry.”

“Wasn’t your fault. ‘M sorry for-for crying. ‘N begging. Didn’ realize I did until I checked the suit’s logs. That... that wasn’t fair, was it?”

“It wasn’t your fault either, Peter. You were just scared.”

_ God, you were so scared. I’ll never forget how scared you were. _

“Mm. Wasn’t very nice though.” Peter paused, swallowing. “Guess death never is.”

“No, Pete, it isn’t.”

“‘M sorry. I-I was trying to make you feel better. I don’t think I did that.”

“It’s okay, bud.”

“Mm. I’ll work on it.”

“You do that.”

Peter seemed to think for a moment, eyes drooping low again.

“Do you know what I do when I have a bad dream?”

He could feel the wildfire of  _ Iloveyou  _ building in his chest. “What do you do, Peter?”

“I think about when I saw you again, after you fixed everything. Do you remember?”

“Of course I do.”

“You hugged me really tight, ‘n our heartbeats synced up. Did you know that’s a real thing? Studies ‘n stuff prove it. Happens with people you love.”

He closed his eyes and ran a thumb over the kid’s hairline. “You’re such a nerd.”

“So’re you.” Peter yawned. “I remember that, though, cause it reminds me ‘m alive ‘n you saved me. You need a memory like that, too.”

“Maybe I do.”

“You do. ‘M right.”

“Okay, okay. I do, and you’re right. Now go to sleep, Spider-baby. It’s late.”

“Do you feel better?”

“Much better.”

“Mm. Good. G’night, Mis’er Stark.”

“Goodnight, buddy. Sleep well.”

And there, with Peter’s pulse thumping slowly against his fingertips, he decided that  _ this  _ would be his memory.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love fics where Tony gets the love and support he needs, okay?


End file.
